Happy New Year!

Our daughter rang in the New Year with her Barbie guitar and a lot of energy, ready to rock in the new and shake off the old!

For us, it's hard to believe that our Ningdu Princess will be 8 years old in November 2011. Time has flown by and, along with this flight of time, we've enjoyed a lot of smiles, laughs and surprises. We hope that every Ningdu Family has a wonderful and happy year that's filled with joy and love.

CNN Reports Fewer Children Adopted Out of China

It was bound to happen, the proverbial 'closing of the door,' and we knew that when it happened, many countless couples hoping and wishing for a child - whether to add to an existing family or simply to have their first - this would be a disappointment.

CNN correspondent, Emily Chang, hits the nail squarely on the head with, Finding a home: Fewer children up for adoption in China. Apparently the changing attitude in China toward domestic adoptions, coupled with an increasing number of foreign applications has done much to dwindle the availability of adoptable children.

"Zhang estimates that there are 30,000 international applications waiting to be processed in China. These days, the wait can be up to five years," according to Chang.

Chinese Blog Provides Minute-by-Minute Updates on Earthquake

The Beijinger has an incredible amount of information on the current situation in China following Monday's earthquake.

For up-to-the-minute updates, follow The Beijinger. You will want to bookmark this site.

International Assistance For China, Victims of Tragic Earthquake

One site that provides a plethora of aid agencies ready to assist China and the victims from Monday's devestating earthquake is National Public Radio. Correspondents in Chengdu are busy keeping the NPR Blog updated on rescue and relief efforts.

Go to NPR's "Chengdu Diary" for the latest information. Here you will find a list of international aid groups working to assist the victims of this tragic situation.

A Cool New China Blog!

Although a very long way from Ningdu, this blog caught my eye and in a big way! The content captures the imagination and conveys what is happening in China's capitol city.

For the casual to serious China 'watcher,' the Beijinger is a must, especially as we near the start of the 2008 Olympics!

Happy Mother's Day To All Mothers Around The World!

Many of us would not have been blessed with children from China if not for the current Chinese government dictate of one-child. Change to that policy could have well been achieved had the government not been successful in the crackdown on Chinese demonstrators in Tiananmen Square nearly 20 years ago.

I know this site has strayed from the political, but on Mother's Day, we should remember those Chinese mothers who have given so much, whether voluntarily or by government policy, to abide by this regime's rule. Had those brave young people succeeded in China, I seriously doubt that the PRC would now have the one-child policy. My husband and I dearly love our Angela. But today, we are ever so mindful of Angela's Chinese mother and can only wish in tears that her choice had not been made for her by the current government.

Please visit this site to send your best wishes to the Mother's of Tiananmen Square.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, worldwide.

赤身 ADVENTURE - Real Time Blog From Ningdu

Several weeks ago, as Lisa was preparing for her big trip back to China with her two daughters and husband, Ian, we had the chance to chat during our annual FCC-San Diego Chinese New Year party. They are in China and have created this blog to chronicle their travels - 赤身 ADVENTURE.

The youngest of their two daughters is from Ningdu and Lisa's most recent post of March 27 shares with readers her discoveries while visiting Ningdu. Our daughter and Lisa's are the same age and were received only six weeks apart. Interesting that in the San Diego area, there are 2 Ningdu girls. Are there any others out there?

Check out Lisa's blog and enjoy learning about the Hakka. Chances are, your child is one if he or she is from Ningdu or the Jiangxi Province.

Great posts, Lisa! Thank you.

XIN NEIN KUAI LE!

Best wishes to out to everyone who is celebrating 4075, the Year of the Rat. May the Chinese New Year bring continued happiness, good health and propserity to all!

Gung hay fat choy!

Who Is Emma Bo? Do You Know?

It was May 27, 2007 when I first noticed this book, tucked amongst the many others in the China section of Bay Books, a popular used book store in Concord, California. It was unusual to find a hard cover copy of "The Lost Daughters of China," a must-read for adoptive parents of Chinese children, authored by Bay Area resident, Karin Evans.

What made for an even more unusual find was the beautiful inscription on the inside page, written in July 2000.

This book was a gift to Emma Bo, an adoptive daughter from China. What is so haunting about this particular "find" is that a very personal message to this woman's daughter was left in a bookstore for more than 8 months.

So, the obvious question to be asked is, "Who is Emma Bo?"

Since May 2007, I have frequented Bay Books no less than 5 times while visiting the area, and on every one of those visits, I have pulled this book from the shelf, hoping to find a "clean" copy, without dog ears, scribbles or highlighting. However, a week ago of that all changed; I purchased this book.

The inscription from mother to her daughter says what any of us would hope to say to our adoptive children. It's the essence of pure beauty and love. I bought this book and have included it with other books on China and adoption that I have built for my own daughter. One day she will come to learn that there are others just like her, and that the love a parent has is both deep and enduring.

I have thought about Emma Bo and her mother for more than 8 months. Why did this special gift find itself on a shelf of a used bookstore? If anyone happens to know Emma Bo's mother, please convey to her that I have retrieved her book and will gladly reunite it with her, if she so desires. She can contact me at ourningdukids@gmail.com.

Thank you!

(Click the picture to enlarge for easy reading of the inscription.)

Ningdu Heritage Trip in 2009

The following is from my post on Yahoo's Ningdu Families that I submitted this afternoon:


This past weekend I attended the Bay Area Travel Show (as an exhibitor) and caught up with many old friends and met some new ones during the 2-day travel show. Many of my Chinese contacts were in attendance, and I had the opportunity to begin discussing with one tour operator some initial thoughts on coordinating a Ningdu Heritage Trip in 2009.

For most, the idea of traveling to China with a possible 3-day stay in Ningdu would be a dream come true. I know that it would be for our family. Our daughter will turn 5 in November, so I know that providing her with the opportunity to visit her native China and to see the area where her life began would be of tremendous value.

I would like to get an idea from this group as to the interest level for having a group tour, say 8-10 days, in China, with Ningdu being the primary focus for perhaps three days.

Here is a portion of the e-mail that I received this morning from my contact at Access China Tours:

"Yes, the show was very good and we got some solid leads. I have done a quick search on Ningdu in our China destination data base and found some very useful info and images. I will wait for your further instruction but I am very confident that we can offer a wonderful heritage experience for both the kids and the parents in Ningdu. By the way, the best time to visit Ningdu in terms of weather is from mid October to late November."

He indicated to me that sometime in 2008, he would arrange to visit Ningdu and to make preliminary arrangements with the orphanage director and others to properly welcome the group.

I'll put together a poll for this site and on Our Ningdu Kids blog to see what the interest level is for a Ningdu Heritage Trip in late 2009. Also, please reply directly to this message as there's no need to do a private reply to this post.

I think this could be very exciting, especially since this group could have both Canadian and American families traveling together. We may also find that Australian and European families might meet up with us in China for the mainland tour. I can see many new friendships developing from such a trip and a strenghtening of the bond that ties all of us together as Ningdu Families.

Please think about it; it could be a lot of fun for everyone!

Best Regards to All,
Kurt
Father to Ning Yuqing (Melani),
Class of September 2004